In Elliott County, Kentucky, benefit checks have brought in more money than paychecks since 2011
In 2024, 53 cents of every dollar of income here came from benefit checks, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans' benefits. That was a larger share than across the country.
More distressed than 81% of U.S. counties.
What drives Elliott County's score
In Elliott County, jobs weigh most: the score for jobs is 95.0. Unemployment averaged 7.6%, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026, higher than in 95% of U.S. counties. Income and the safety net comes next, at 85.2.
The County Distress Index looks at five parts of household money trouble in Elliott County: jobs, late payments on loans, income and the safety net, collections and bankruptcy, and housing costs. Each part is scored from 0 to 100, and a higher score means worse off than other counties.
Elliott County does better than most counties on two measures: bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people (27.6, 2025) and people with a car or retail loan behind (3.0%, August 2025).
A longer bar means more trouble. See how the county score works.
- 95.0 of 100
Jobs
Biggest factorUnemployment through Sep 2026; adults not working, 2020–24 Census survey
- Unemployment rate, average over the latest year7.6% · Oct 2025 to Sep 2026top 5%
- Adults 25 to 54 not working38.4% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
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- 85.2 of 100
Income and safety net
Poverty and income, 2024; disability and insurance, 2020–24 Census survey
- People below the poverty line28.3% · 2024top 5%
- Children below the poverty line28.5% · 202489th percentile
- People with a disability24.5% · 2020 to 2024top 5%
- People without health insurance8.0% · 2020 to 202451st percentile
- Median household income (lower income, longer bar)$46,905 · 2024top 5%
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- 60.7 of 100
Late payments
Credit records, August 2025; credit scores, second quarter of 2026
- People with a credit card behind11.2% · August 2025top 5%
- People with a car or retail loan behind3.0% · August 202514th percentile
- People with a subprime credit score47.0% · second quarter of 202672nd percentile
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- 56.9 of 100
Housing costs
Renters, 2020–24 Census survey; HUD's fair market rents, fiscal year 2027
- Renters paying half their income or more in rent16.6% · 2020 to 202440th percentile
- Rent on a two-bedroom as a share of the median income23.3% · fiscal year 202773rd percentile
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- 45.2 of 100
Collections and bankruptcy
Credit records, August 2025; bankruptcy filings, 2025
- People with unpaid debt sent to a collector34.7% · August 202585th percentile
- Bankruptcy filings per 100,000 people27.6 · 20255th or lower percentile
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Sources: Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey; U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Fair Market Rents and Census income; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. County Distress Index by American Default Research, from data through Sep 2026.
Where the money in Elliott County comes from
Benefit checks are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid paid on people's behalf, veterans' benefits, and food and income support, so a high share usually means an older population, low pay, or both. In Elliott County, 21.5% of residents are 65 or older (Census Bureau, 2024), against 17.2% nationally that year.
Cents of every dollar of income, 2024
Elliott County
Kentucky
United States
- Pay from work
- Investments and rent
- Benefit checks
Benefit checks' share of income in Elliott County had its largest rise, from 32.3% in 1999 to 38.7% in 2004.
In Elliott County, benefit checks brought in more than pay from work in 2024, a bigger share of income than across Kentucky
In Elliott County, Kentucky, benefit checks' share of income more than doubled from 1969 to 2024, reaching 52.7%; pay from work is plotted alongside. Every fifth year and 2024 are shown.
- Benefit checks
- Pay from work
The share of households in Elliott County getting SNAP food aid had its largest rise, from 29.6% in 2009 to 39.1% in 2010.
The share of households in Elliott County getting SNAP food aid was at its highest on the chart in 2010 and has since fallen by about a third
Low on the chart: 23.1% in 2020. Households getting SNAP, every year; each bar is a five-year survey estimate ending that year, so neighboring bars share most of their data, Elliott County, Kentucky.
How Elliott County has changed
Elliott County's population rose by about a fifth from 1969 to 2024, reaching 7,263, with most of the change between 2004 and 2009
High on the chart: 7,727 in 2009. Residents, yearly estimate, every fifth year and 2024, Elliott County, Kentucky.
The number of jobs located in Elliott County had its largest rise, from 605 in 2000 to 796 in 2005.
The number of jobs located in Elliott County doubled from 1990 to 2025, reaching 898
High on the chart: 906 in 2015. Yearly average of jobs covered by unemployment insurance, every fifth year and 2025, Elliott County, Kentucky.
| Measure | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rateBLS LAUS | 1990 13.8% | 2025 7.9% |
| People below the poverty lineCensus SAIPE | 1989 34.9% | 2024 28.3% |
| Median household incomeCensus SAIPE | 1989 $14,699 | 2024 $46,905 |
The table uses 7.9% for 2025; the score uses 7.6% for the latest year (Oct 2025 to Sep 2026), both from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Figures are as each agency published them, not adjusted for prices.
Dated events in Elliott County's history
1869
Established in 1869 from land given by Carter, Lawrence, and Morgan counties. Wikipedia
1900
The county's largest recorded population was the 1900 Census count of 10,387. The 2020 Census counted 7,354, 71% of the peak. Census Bureau
1995
A thunderstorm in May 1995 did $1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
1997
A flash flood in March 1997 did $1.1 million in property damage. NOAA Storm Events Database
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Since 1989
33 federal disaster and emergency declarations have covered Elliott County, 21 of them for flooding. FEMA
Elliott County beside its neighbors
All four counties that border Elliott County score higher than it does. Of the group, Elliott County gets the largest share of its income from benefit checks (52.7%).
| County | Score | Poverty | Benefit checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence County, KY | 93 | 23.4% | 47.0% |
| Morgan County, KY | 91 | 25.3% | 43.9% |
| Carter County, KY | 91 | 18.9% | 43.5% |
| Rowan County, KY | 82 | 20.8% | 36.4% |
| Elliott County, KY | 81 | 28.3% | 52.7% |
Distress score: American Default Research, County Distress Index, data through Sep 2026; each county scored against all 3,144. Poverty rate: Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024. Benefit checks: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024. Neighbors share a border, from Census county maps.
Is Elliott County the poorest county in Kentucky?
No, Elliott County's poverty rate was 28.3% in 2024, 13th highest of 120 in Kentucky (U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). By that measure the poorest county in the state is McCreary County, at 36.4%. On our distress index, which counts more than poverty, Elliott County ranks 44th of 120 in the state.
If you're behind on your mortgage in Elliott County
Housing counselors approved by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work at nonprofit agencies. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes free foreclosure-avoidance counseling, including help with mortgage-company conversations and available options Source CFPB.
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Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
Legal aid
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HUD-approved housing counselors
Our help directory lists 1,010 agencies approved for foreclosure counseling, by state.
The score, its 14 measures and their sources, in one file. Free to use with credit to American Default Research.
Download the CSV for Elliott County · Every U.S. county (CSV)
Sources and method
- American Default Research · County Distress Index Data through Sep 2026, built from Urban Institute, Debt in America; Equifax via the St. Louis Fed; U.S. Courts, Table F-5A; Census Bureau, American Community Survey; HUD Fair Market Rents and Census income; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. The County Distress Index is American Default Research's own calculation; the Urban Institute does not produce or endorse it. Our methodology
- Urban Institute · Debt in America Breno Braga, Signe-Mary McKernan, Samantha Atherton, and Kassandra Martinchek, "Debt in America," last updated November 20, 2025, https://datacatalog.urban.org/dataset/debt-america-2025. Licensed under ODC-By 1.0.
- Rent on a two-bedroom and household income The rent share compares HUD fair market rent for fiscal year 2027 with Census Bureau median household income for 2024. The page calls this the typical household's income.
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Accounts (CAINC4) · income shares Where the money in Elliott County comes from, 2024.
- History The agencies named in each row and the linked records above.